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& Crown Rovers - B & B Cup (17/12/2006) 2006 - 2007 Season, Afc Hithercroft  On arrival at the ground in Datchet we were informed that the pitch had not been marked out as it belonged to a school that has broken up for the holidays. We were then taken to Upton Park (the Datchet one) where we were allocated pitch No.7. The weather was sunny but cold and the pitch was muddy and was thawing out from a frosty night. Pam Ife ran the line for Hithercroft and the referee was Mr John Gunn. Once again, with Neil Stretton being unavailable, Dewayne Dublin took on the goalkeeper’s duties. Hithercroft were also without centre-back Dougie Carswell and strikers Ashley Anderson and Kevin Howell but Kris Clark was back from his honeymoon. Hithercroft also had the services of two substitutes in Mike Baldock and Jamaine Warner. The game kicked off a little late at 10.47am with Afc Hithercroft playing into the sun for the first half. The referee was to prove unpopular with both sides during the game and found it necessary to speak to Hithercroft’s Richard McKie in the 9th minute. On 13 minutes Baz David was pushed in the back by the Crown No.12 and he retaliated by pushing the offender, earning his place in the referee’s book before the free-kick was awarded. In the 24th minute the home team took the lead when Richard Saint sent in an angled shot into the left-hand side of Hithercroft’s net. Thirteen minutes later, following a foul on Baz, the referee stopped the game to award Hithercroft a free-kick even though Baz had kept his feet and was racing down the left wing with the ball. On the 40th minute Baz took a corner-kick from the left and the ball curved in, hit the underside of the crossbar and ended up in the back of the Crown net to level the score-line. For the second half, which kicked off at 11.41am, Hithercroft brought on Mike Baldock to replace his brother, John. Two minutes into the half the Crown No.7 was shown the yellow card following an unfair tackle on Tyrone Francis. Seven minutes later Frank Smith crossed the ball from the left wing and Ryan Forbes lifted the ball over the keeper and it dropped down beneath the crossbar to put Hithercroft 2-1 ahead. In the 11th minute of the half the home team made a substitution, sending on their No.3 to replace their No.8. In the 61st minute Frank’s name joined the others in the referee’s book for going in with studs showing, although he did actually connect with the ball. One minute later Leon Browne was replaced by Jamaine Warner for the visitors. Baz sent the ball from a corner-kick into the middle and, from about 30 yards out, Richard McKie hit a shot that rebounded from the crossbar. In the 71st minute Tyrone needed treatment to an ankle injury and left the pitch for treatment but, before doing so was ‘spoken to’ by the referee for ‘making him aware’ in an impolite manner that his ankle had been trodden on. Nine minutes later Crown’s No.5 had his name entered in the book. At this point a spectator who had no connection with either team but often watches the games played at that ground complained a little too loudly about the referee’s handling of the game. He suggested that both sides put in a report about the ref, who then came over and asked for the spectator’s name, which was given as Mr. D. Duck (presumably the initial ‘D’ stood for ‘Donald’). On the 88th minute Mike Baldock was spoken to by the referee (reason not being apparent) and he also spoke to the Crown No.12. A free-kick from the Rose and Crown was taken direct at goal and Dewayne did well to get up and tip it over the crossbar. (The referee stated after the game that he had awarded an indirect free-kick and so, had Dewayne not saved it he would have disallowed the ‘goal’). On 91 minutes Hithercroft’s Kevin Midgley was rightly yellow-carded for sweeping the legs from an opponent. In the 95th minute Hithercroft came close to scoring a third goal when Ryan centred the ball from the left and Tyrone hit an overhead shot that went just over the crossbar. Then, in the 96th minute the Crown No.6, with just the keeper to beat, hit the ball just wide of the left-hand post. After 100 minutes the referee eventually blew his whistle to send Afc Hithercroft through into the next round of the cup with a 2-1 win. Hithercroft scorers: Baz David (40 mins), Ryan Forbes (54 mins) Hithercroft team: Dewayne Dublin (GK), Kevin Midgley, Leon Browne, Kris Clark, Dan Birch, Frank Smith, Tyrone Francis, Richard McKie, Baz David, John Baldock and Ryan Forbes. Hithercroft subs: Mike Baldock replaced John Baldock (45 mins), Jamaine Warner replaced Leon Browne (62 mins) Hithercroft M.o.M: Richard McKie Rose & Crown Rovers’ scorer: Richard Saint (24 mins) Bookings: Baz David, R & C’s No.7, Frank Smith, R & C’s No.5 and Kevin Midgley. |
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